The invention concerns an internal-combustion engine, comprising an engine housing, wherein a rotary disc is centrally rotatably mounted in the interior space of the engine housing around an axis of rotation.
Industrially produced internal-combustion engines are currently designed almost exclusively on the principle of reciprocating piston engines. Reciprocating piston engines are engines in which a change in volume of a gas is reacted on a linearly moving piston by means of a connecting rod and a crank to a rotary movement. From the reciprocating piston engines are to be distinguished the rotary engines. These are internal-combustion engines, in which the parts which perform mechanical work, carry out only rotational movements.
While the theoretical benefits of rotary engines compared to reciprocating engines, such as the reduced number of moving parts and concomitant a robust construction, the absence of a power transmission means crankshaft, the smoother running due to the orbital motion and ultimately a lower power to weight ratio, are well known, the rotary engines could not claim right so far. Known drawbacks of rotary engines such as sealing problems, unfavorable combustion chambers compared to cylindrical combustion chambers for piston engines, difficult lubrication and sometimes difficult-to-handle components have as a result, that with the exception of the Wankel engine hardly a rotary engine has reached the production stage.
DE 10 200 020 337 A1 describes a rotary piston engine with a cylindrical piston circulating in an engine housing. The engine housing forms a circular-cylindrical interior, in which a circular-cylindrical piston rotates, which has a smaller outer diameter than the interior. Interior and piston have a common axis, so that there is an annular gap between the inner wall of the interior and the piston outer wall. The piston also has four projections, each forming chambers in the engine compartment. However, the rotary engine in DE 10 2007 020 337 A1 turns out to be not ideal in terms of the combustion chamber shape and seal.